Why I am the Future of Journalism

I submitted this for my entry to Publish2’s â€œI Am the Future of Journalismâ€ Contest:

I have the will and the adaptability to be the future of journalism.

It’s not that I know how to write stories, use a video camera and write code.

Those are secondary qualities.

I am passionate about news. Passionate enough to learn new skills, to experiment with technology, to challenge myself to tell stories in multiple dimensions.

The power of news is change. It’s a cliche, but knowledge really is power, and journalists are the disseminators of information.

In journalism school they say “Show, don’t tell.” Somewhat ironically, print stories are limited in this capacity. Radio and television are better at showing.

But the mediums are merging. The buzzword is “convergence,” but what it means is that the media is catching up with technology.

A story is no longer a block of text. It is more than the sum of it’s parts; it includes video, links, databases, infographics and audio. A story is an experience. And when forced to acknowledge wrongness on such a level, how can people but work to change it?

Journalism makes an idealist out of me.

I’ve worked in a cramped college newsroom and a spacious metro daily. But the job was the same: What is the best way to make this information meaningful?

To that end, I’ve used Flash, Twitter, maps, video, podcasts. I’m learning more programming languages, exploring social media and experimenting with the possibilities introduced by the Internet.

Abraham Maslow, a psychologist in the early 20th century, said “He that is good with a hammer tends to think everything is a nail.” The more tools we have, the better our stories become, because there isn’t just one way to do it.

I’m going to need a ginormous toolbox.

I don’t dream of working in a smoke-filled newsroom, surrounded by press hats and old coffee. I dream of the day when the world is my newsroom. I’ll work from the streets or my living room, and the physical state of the newsroom will be a server.

Related

hmmm, your view of the newsroom sort of mimics my view of the classroom. Does learning have to take place in a room, in a building, that has rows of desks, a whiteboard, and a teacher at the front? Can the world become the classroom?

hmmm, your view of the newsroom sort of mimics my view of the classroom. Does learning have to take place in a room, in a building, that has rows of desks, a whiteboard, and a teacher at the front? Can the world become the classroom?

Of course the world is a classroom! When I was still in high school, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to stay in school forever. Now that I’ve got a college degree, I still learn every day, at home, at work, online.

Of course the world is a classroom! When I was still in high school, I spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to stay in school forever. Now that I’ve got a college degree, I still learn every day, at home, at work, online.